Share of global plastic waste imports in Romania

Romania: Share of global plastic waste imports was 1.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.2%
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
19th
of 183 countries
All-time high
1.8%
in 2019
All-time low
0.0%
in 2001
Years of data
33
1991–2024

Share of global plastic waste imports in Romania, 1991–2024

00.511.521991200720241991: 0.001 %1992: 0.012 %1993: 0.003 %1994: 0.002 %1995: 0.001 %1996: 0.002 %1997: 0.004 %1998: 0 %2000: 0.004 %2001: 0 %2002: 0 %2003: 0 %2004: 0 %2005: 0 %2006: 0.002 %2007: 0.009 %2008: 0.038 %2009: 0.018 %2010: 0.038 %2011: 0.098 %2012: 0.149 %2013: 0.201 %2014: 0.253 %2015: 0.223 %2016: 0.341 %2017: 0.516 %2018: 1.2 %2019: 1.8 %2020: 1.3 %2021: 0 %2022: 1.3 %2023: 1.2 %2024: 1.2 %

Source: United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, share of global plastic waste imports in Romania stood at 1.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 385.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of global plastic waste imports in Romania peaked at 1.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2001.

Romania ranks 19th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2010s 0.5% 0.0% 1.8% 10
2020s 1.0% 0.0% 1.3% 5

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 16 Lithuania 2.2% compare
  2. 17 Denmark 2.0% compare
  3. 18 Portugal 1.5% compare
  4. 20 India 1.2% compare
  5. 21 Pakistan 1.0% compare
  6. 22 Croatia 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More environment data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of global plastic waste imports in Romania?
Share of global plastic waste imports in Romania was 1.2% in 2024, according to United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Romania?
The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 2019.
What is the lowest share of global plastic waste imports recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2001.
How does Romania rank for share of global plastic waste imports?
Romania ranks 19th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of global plastic waste imports rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is up 385.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Romania data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of global plastic waste imports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of global plastic waste imports
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Comtrade Database (2025); United Nations Comtrade Database (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 4,496 data points, 1988–2024
Last refreshed

The percentage of global plastic waste imports that a country accounts for.